In 1928, Bessie and Glen Hyde take a scow down the Colorado River in their attempt to have Bessie become the first woman documented to have gone down the river through the canyon. Their plan is to leverage their experience into a career on the lecture and vaudeville circuit. They are last seen heading down the river in mid November.

This week we are joined by Musetta Vander. A native South African, Musetta's no stranger to the entertainment world. She debuted on stage at the age of 4. One of her first jobs was anchor host for an MTV-like television show in South Africa.

After her arrival to the USA she became part of the very world she used to host, appearing as the 'dream girl' in more than twenty music videos for top recording artists including Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Elton John, and Chris Isaak. But it was her critically acclaimed stage performance in the original South African play Soweto's Burning, that provided her transition to the big screen. 

Since then Musetta has performed in numerous feature films, including Wild Wild West , O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Cell, Breaking Point, and Kicking & Screaming to name a few.  Additionally she's added a slew of television credits ti including Stargate SG-1, Frasier, NCIS and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.  

Join us on Patreon! Your support helps us continue to shine light on America’s missing and unidentified women. Flashlight level members also get access to additional content like Behind the Poem, a weekly conversation about the episode’s featured poem, and our monthly true crime/mystery book club. Our September 2024 selection is Madame Victoria by Catherine LeRoux and translated by Lazer Lederhendler.

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To buy Aimee’s book, Doe, it’s available now with University of Akron Press, at Bookshop.org, and Amazon.